I have a handful of phrases that I use to keep life balanced. Some I made up on my own. Here’s an example:

Nothing improves without change.

Here’s another one:

Everybody wants your money.

One more:

If everyone is out to get you, paranoia is a good attitude to have.

I like this one, too; often attributed to Mark Twain.

“Lies, damned lies, and statistics” is a phrase describing the persuasive power of numbers, particularly the use of statistics to bolster weak arguments. It is also sometimes colloquially used to doubt statistics used to prove an opponent’s point.

The phrase derives from the full sentence, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.”; it was popularized in the United States by Mark Twain and others, who mistakenly attributed it to the British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli. The phrase is not found in any of Disraeli’s works and the earliest known appearances were years after his death. The phrase was attributed to an anonymous writer in mid-1891 and later that year to Sir Charles Dilke, but several others have been listed as originators of the quote, including frequent erroneous attribution to Twain himself.

Numbers don’t always tell the whole story for your health. Check out these heart rate numbers from a recent morning run.

Looks good, right? What does it mean? Healthy runner? Maybe. Or, someone with a deadly disease? Possible.

My watch records my heart rate while exercising. 150 beats per minutes is maximum for my age and I had little trouble reaching that, despite the odd posture, mild fatigue, and breathing problems.

What’s going on? Whatever it was doctors didn’t know and it was about to get worse. Much worse.